Whoops
by Krysnel Nicavis
Summary: Lindsay wants a story and Greg has an 'accident' involving rice and stairs. Part of the Manson Rescue Universe.


**Title:** Whoops  
**Fandom:** CSI  
**Characters:** Nightshift CSI's  
**Prompt:** #28 – Children  
**Word Count:** 956  
**Rating:** K (Intended for general audience. Content should be free of any coarse language, violence, and adult themes.)  
**Summary:** Lindsay wants a story and Greg has an 'accident' involving rice and stairs.  
**Author's Notes:** This is based on something I did last summer… Part of the "Manson Rescue" Universe.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing…

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"Ricky, tell me a story," five-year-old Lindsay Grissom asked her oldest brother as the family was sitting around the living room one day during the Christmas holiday. This year all the older Grissom children had been able to make it home for the entire holiday and were currently lounging around drinking hot chocolate and candy canes with their baby sister.

"You want to hear a story?" Lindsay nodded. "Hmm, let me think…" He made a big show of coming up with something to tell the little girl. "I know. How about I tell you about one of the times little Greggy here had one of his infamous so-called accidents?"

"What 'so-called accidents'?" Greg asked suspiciously.

"The one that happened when you were fourteen and we were helping mom cook thanksgiving dinner."

"Hey that _was_ and accident!" Greg protested.

"Yeah, right Greg," Sara piped up. "And mom was a stripper when she met dad, she added sarcastically.

"Hey, you never know."

"I heard that!" Catherine shouted through from the kitchen and Greg ducked his head a bit.

"Sorry Mom," he called back. "It's not like I threw it."

"So what, it made a bid for freedom? There's not possible way, G," Nick sided with the older siblings.

"Nicky you traitor!"

"Children, play nice," Gil called through from where he and Catherine were seated at the kitchen table looking through newspapers. Lindsay was looking from one sibling to another.

"What did Greggy do?"

"Well, Linz," Warrick started. "It went like this…"

-o0o-

"Nick, could you put this turkey into the oven for me? Sara I need you to get started on this stuffing, your father's going to be home any minute with Warrick," Catherine called out. "Has anyone seen Greg? I want him to get that bag of rice out of the upstairs storage closet." She turned to the vegetables she was preparing and began chopping them up to steam. Nick lifted the pan with the turkey in it off the counter and eased it into the oven before offering to look for his wayward brother. Greg was fourteen-years-old and was currently the only child who was left at home with their parents year round since the older three were all off at different colleges and universities. In recent years he'd taken to hiding in the oddest places whenever the family congregated. Nick secretly felt his little brother resented them for going away to school.

He searched everywhere he could think of: the basement where Dad's bug collection lived, the garage, the crawl space above the garage, under their parent's bed, under Greg's bed, the attic, the hidden room in the attic, the tree house… Greg was nowhere to be found. He stood in the room he'd shared with Greg before leaving to go to a university in Texas. When they were little he'd shared a room with Warrick and Greg had shared with Sara, but as the kids began to enter their pre-teens their parents decided to move into a townhouse with four rooms instead of three and the arrangements changed. He stood in the middle of the room and stared out the window trying to think of where else the moody teenager could be. Then it hit him.

He walked over to the window and opened it. After peeking his head out and not finding anyone he climbed out onto the roof. He gazed around to find Greg sitting a little bit above the window. "Hey Greggo," Nick greeted. "What you doing out here?"

"Nothin'," Greg grunted looking at his shoes. His arms were wrapped around his legs, his chin resting on his knees.

"C'mon, don't be like that," Nick said as he took a seat beside the younger boy.

"I just wanted to be alone," Greg grumbled. "Why can't anyone understand that? There's nothing wrong, I just want some peace!"

"Okay, no need to get uppity," Nick said raising his arms in surrender.

"Why are you looking for me anyway?" Greg asked grumpily.

"Mom wants you to get the bag of rice out of the storage closet."

"Why can't _you_ get it?" Greg glared.

"'Cause she wants you to do it. Dad and Rick'll be home any minute," Nick said and climbed back into the bedroom. Nick, Sara, and Catherine were busy in the kitchen when Gil and Warrick walked in. They'd just passed the stairwell that was across from the front door when they heard a crash from behind them and turned to see uncooked grains of rice in a heap on the floor, a look at the stairwell provided more rice and a broken rice bag. Everyone stared when there was a guilty squeak from upstairs.

"I didn't do it!"

-o0o-

"It wasn't like I chucked it at anyone!" Greg denied as Lindsay laughed.

"Oh, so you _did_ throw it," Sara grinned.

"I didn't throw it."

"You were so moody that day," Nick commented. "I couldn't understand it. I figured you'd thrown it out of spite."

"I _didn't_ throw it!"

"You know, I'm still finding rice in the rug twelve years later," Catherine piped up from the kitchen. Everyone in the living room (minus Greg) burst out in laughter.

"I told you, I set it down on the ledge and it slipped off."

"Stop denying it Greg, just own up to it," Sara encouraged but Greg refused.

Later that night Nick and Greg were lounging in their childhood bedroom. "So, Greg," Nick started conversationally. "How _did_ it happen? I mean honestly."

"Honestly? I didn't throw it," Greg replied.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Nick gave him a look and Greg grinned sheepishly.

"I held it over the ledge and let it go, there was no throwing involved."

- 30 -

THE END

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**A/N:** Grissom children from oldest to youngest: Warrick, 33; Nick, 32; Sara, 31; Greg, 26; Lindsay, 5.

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_released__: December 9, 2007  
updated: July 27, 2010_


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